Entrevista: Max Green – All Access Magazine

Seven years ago Las Vegas gave birth to some city sinners known as Escape The Fate. Over that course of time the band went on to release multiple EPs and three LPs to pay their depths but to this day they are still nothing but a group of misfits. After building a solid following the band sold 350,000 albums through their previous label, Epitaph, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion (2006) and This War Is Ours (2008), were what made their so-called solid ground their playground. Now the band has been signed to a major label Inters cope Records, their recent offering Escape The Fate is what the band considers as their horrifyingly good time. Bassist/vocalist Max Green caught up with me during a phone interview to discuss his time dealing with rehab what he’s up to now and where the band will end up next.

(AAM): First off welcome back! So would you say that this is a fresh start to a New Year and a whole new chapter in your life?

Max: Cool thank you so much. Definitely man I went to rehab and this is the first tour since I got out so it’s great to be back. Since rehab I’ve become a whole another person. I’ve gotten more confidence and been soul searching which has awakened me from the inside and it’s just been great.

AAM: How supportive have your fans been since your return to the stage?

Max: The fans have been treating me phenomenally it’s been amazing. I’ve had lots of fans write me emails, letters and a lot of the fans have done school projects on me. There‘s this select groups of fans that I let have my personal phone number, and those fans respect it and don’t hand it out or anything. I let them call me whenever to conduct personal interviews, get their research done ya know? I’m an inspiration to them and they think it’s great on how I was okay with being so public about going to rehab. Just yesterday a fan and their mother had told me that her brother had just entered rehab about a week ago. Fans have made “Max Green Fan Clubs” the whole nine yards and it’s just amazing to be a part of that.

AAM: You guys just did a performance on FuelTV’s “The Daily Habit” will we be seeing you on anymore television networks?

Max: Yeah we did the FuelTV spot that was aired live on TV. We have a couple more things lined up but those have yet to be confirmed. You will definitely be seeing more of Escape The Fate on your television screens sooner than you think.

AAM: If you could pick a TV show to be on which would you pick and why?

Max: Aw man I’d pick Conan dude. I am so glad he came back I love Conan!

AAM: Will we be seeing anything in reference to the word “live” whether it’d be in CD or DVD anytime soon?

Max: We’re constantly filming our drummer has been documenting everything since the very beginning. Since getting with Interscope Records they have backed us up 100%. Any crazy ideas we have up our sleeves they are all over it. They help us push the limits on what we want to do. Like I was saying about that daughter and mother with their brother in rehab we want to be able to communicate with our fans as much as possible. On this tour we’ve been recording every single night, right from the soundboard. So there will be a live package put together we’re just not sure on when it will be coming out either this year or next.

AAM: Is it true that Craig wants to do a video for the song “Zombie Dance”? Do you think if it does get created will it be just like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video?

Max: That’s actually an idea the entire band had. When we were first demoing it, the title, lyrics, were crazy so we knew we had wanted it to be awesome. A lot of bands out there go crazy on their first debut then afterwards all of that energy fades away. With us we wanted to take it to the next level and create a music video we knew we’d appreciate it. As of right now we’re trying everything we can to get this concept underway, we want it to be huge and the label will be backing it up for us. So it should be like what Michael Jackson did with his videos.

AAM: When will we be seeing Buckcherry and Escape The Fate hitting the road together?

Max: Oh man with this new album I definitely see that to happen. We’re starting something new added with the old and want to cherish that and keep it going. Besides that Josh is a good friend of mine and the rest of the band so we’ll see if something can indeed happen.

AAM: Speaking of the road, how is The Dead Masquerade Tour going so far?

Max: It feels so good to be back and out of rehab everyone else is doing so well. We have this huge unique stage show for this tour. We have a stair case on both sides of the stage with a big platform behind the drums with lights, smoke, and a big banner in the background. It’s a total reference to the 80’s era of what Iron Maiden did back in the day. The kids are getting really into it and loving every minute. We’re drawing them in and that’s just amazing. We get off stage every night and say to us “That was the best show ever”. It keeps getting better and better every day.

AAM: Recently a lot of bands have been performing full-length albums from start to finish. Would Escape The Fate ever consider doing this?

Max: It’s funny you say that. That’s something we hadn’t thought about doing on this tour. But with this new album and us promoting it, it’s like we’re already doing it in a way. We do play all of the songs on this album except for maybe one or two. Then we take two from the other releases and mix it up. It is cool that bands do that but a lot of the times when I do go to shows, I feel letdown that the band didn’t play their hits.

AAM: The new album has been described as an uncut, unrated horror flick. Is that the persona the band is portraying and does each individual band member have their own character?

Max: Yeah I wear make-up every night and dress up every night. All the other guys wear certain stage clothes for certain shows on this touring cycle. Like David Bowie during the 70s and 80s those bands had different costumes that they would wear to represent what album was what. That’s what we’re trying to do, use that same concept except we do it in what we believe in and that’s what sets us apart from all the other bands.

AAM: Will Escape the Fate or any of the other bands be doing a meet -n- greet on this tour?

Max: Yeah we’re doing meet-n-greets every night. The only night we couldn’t do it was the night before last night due to the venue having to close we had to cancel it. What we do want is for the fans to go out to their local FYE or come to the FYE booth at the show purchasing our album that will get them a wristband so that they can meet us after the show. We refuse to put a limit on how many fans show up, if 50 shows up then we will meet that share if 500 fans show up we will meet every single person no matter how long it takes.

AAM: What’s happening after this tour, what else can we expect from you guys in 2011?

Max: After this tour we’re going to be touring in Australia in April. Then hit the states again and Europe before the year ends. We just got back from there actually because we wanted to do some make-up shows for the fans wanting to do give back to them ya know?

AAM: Finish this sentence; if you don’t know Escape The Fate, then you don’t know ________?